AN IMPROVED VISION SYSTEM FOR TELEOPERATED PLATFORMS

THIS PROJECT WILL EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTEGRATING THE VISOR PORTION OF A COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PERSONAL VIDEO SYSTEM WITH A SIX-AXIS HEAD-TRACKING SYSTEM RECENTLY DEVELOPED FOR PERSONAL COMPUTER USE, TO PROVIDE A COST-EFFECTIVE VISOR VISION SYSTEM FOR TELEOPERATED VEHICLES. TELEOPERATION OF AIR, LAND, AND UNDERWATER VEHICLE PLATFORMS REQUIRES A HIGH LEVEL OF OPERATOR INTERACTION. MOST SYSTEMS CURRENTLY USE VIDEO MONITORS, WHICH REQUIRE THE OPERATOR TO REMAIN IN A RELATIVELY FIXED POSITION TO MONITOR VIDEO FEEDBACK, EVEN WHILE ENGAGED IN OPERATING OTHER SYSTEM CONTROLS. THE PLANNED SYSTEM WOULD PROVIDE THE OPERATOR WITH INCREASED FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT, AS VIDEO FEEDBACK WOULD BE PROVIDED BY A LIGHTWEIGHT VISOR. THE HEAD-TRACKING ELEMENT WOULD FURTHER IMPROVE THE OPERATORhS PERFORMANCE BY TRANSLATING MOVEMENTS OF THE HEAD INTO PLATFORM CONTROL FUNCTIONS SUCH AS PAN, TILT, FOCUS, AND ZOOM. FOR EXAMPLE, TO PAN THE CAMERA LEFT OR RIGHT, THE OPERATOR WOULD TURN HIS OR HER HEAD LEFT OR RIGHT. IMPROVED VISION SYSTEMS SUCH AS HELMET MOUNTED DISPLAYS AND HEAD-TRACKING SYSTEMS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ARE BOTH EXPENSIVE AND CUMBERSOME. THIS INTEGRATION OF TWO COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PRODUCTS OFFERS THE POTENTIAL FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE, ERGONOMICALLY DESIGNED DISPLAY AND CONTROL SYSTEM THAT WOULD ALLEVIATE OPERATOR FATIGUE AND INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEOPERATED PLATFORMS. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL DETERMINE THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF, AND INTEGRATE, THE VISOR AND THE HEAD TRACKER, AND WILL DEVELOP CONTROL ALGORITHMS.